Cabbies group says Prihatin aid not reaching many drivers

Taxi drivers are among those affected by the loss of business following the nationwide stay home order to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

PETALING JAYA: An association of taxi drivers is pleading for an expansion of the Prihatin Nasional handouts to include cabbies who are not officially listed as recipients.

Gabungan Teksi SeMalaysia president Kamaruddin Mohd Hussain told FMT he had received many complaints from taxi drivers who had yet to receive the federal government’s financial aid.

He said they were dismayed that the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) had not listed them as recipients just because they had yet to renew their driver’s cards.

The complainants were still driving taxis because their Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licences and permits were still valid, he added.

“It is the responsibility of Apad to tell all drivers to renew their driver’s cards before handing the list of recipients to the transport and finance ministries,” he said.

“We’re hoping the government will consider helping us.”

Apad considers drivers who have not renewed their cards as inactive, and Kamaruddin said this had aggrieved many cabbies who hold valid PSV licences and permits.

He said many drivers decided not to renew their cards because they were disappointed by the previous government’s failure to enforce strict regulations on e-hailing services.

He also said most drivers did not have skills other than driving to help them earn money while the movement control order (MCO) is in force.

The government considers taxi services as essential and has exempted them from the MCO restrictions, but Kamaruddin said taxi drivers had on most days been without passengers because people were staying indoors.

He had previously urged Putrajaya to emulate Singapore, which announced a S$77 million programme in February to help taxi and private-hire car drivers affected by the pandemic.

Of the sum, S$73 million was earmarked for a special relief fund to help active full-time taxi and private-hire car drivers defray business costs.

Yesterday, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said more than six million people had received payments from the Prihatin economic stimulus package as of April 12.

He said tens of thousands of taxi drivers, tour guides and trishaw riders had each received the RM600 aid promised to them. - FMT